Keeper of Chaos
by LemonPoppies
Summary: Many years ago, Zeus had defeated the chaotic goddess to reclaim his throne... But why would he keep his war with her a secret?
1. Resurrection

Zeus's glowing face turned pale as his breath hitched in his throat. The gaze he gave her remained unbroken, and he stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. As much as he tried to deny it, she was there, at the foot of his brilliant golden throne, staring him square in the face after lifting her eyelids, revealing those horrible, beady red eyes.

The gold rays of the heavenly light heavily shone off of the bronze armor plates that capped her shoulders, each pointed off with one aciculate spike. It was as if Zeus was looking at Apollo's crown, and even he could barely keep his eyes open at the intensity. A strap crossed the goddess's chest and down to her waist, acting as a holster to his brother's trident upon her back. There was plain evidence that his other brother contributed to her aid, as his crown sat comfortably upon the mop of her electric blue hair.

Zeus could sense hands trembling on the solid gold coated arm rests of his throne. He clutched the ends of them to the point where they could be crushed from his mighty grip.

To imagine that a god as powerful as Zeus- the KING of gods, if you will- could be frightened of another entity was truly mind-boggling. Zeus was a god; superior to any living, breathing mortals. Who would cause the almighty god of thunder this much of a threat?

Delighted at his fearful reaction, her wide, mocking grin flash across her black lips, then parted to speak the words:

"Did you miss me?" she asked, her voice bringing back such horrible, vivid memories from the past.

Geraki.

No, it couldn't be. Zeus clearly remembered offing her years ago. Why did she return, more so using that frivolous mortal to materialize into her own form? How much more could she want to torture him?

The great god of thunder wet his lips before he tried to hide the shrill in his voice. "You..." He narrowed his eyebrows to retrieve his godlike authority. "How did you escape?" he retorted.

She merely chuckled at his efforts to seem unafraid. "Don't you remember, brother?" she asked in a tone as if there was an obvious answer. Her head tilted slightly, flaunting him his brother's crown on his enemy's head. Her hand traveled up to her large hip. "The prophecy? Or has your mind pushed it back to make room for your arrogance?"

"I am not your brother," Zeus snapped. A spark of wrath supported his courage, and helped him stand from the comfort of his throne. His honey golden eyes shot her a threatening glower, though a seed of doubt told him that it would make no difference. He knew that he had to face facts that this goddess had once struck down and overthrown the king of gods. Though, he had not expected it to be standing right at the foot of his throne.

He only flinched when Geraki's degenerate grin gradually began to fade. "Why do you hide from the truth? We both come from Rhea, though I don't have the same father." The corners of her mouth paused in lowering, and shot back upwards. She placed her bare foot upon the first stair towards the throne. "I can't remember the last time you were a coward."

A sudden wave of rage crashed upon Zeus as a pair of lightning bolts appeared in his big fists. Geraki did not bat an eye as she shook her head, seeing what predictable weapons he had summoned against her. "You wouldn't dare."

"Shut your mouth!" Zeus's voice shook, almost beckoning.

The goddess paused. She had expected him to act as his ideal sovereignty, but in her eyes, he is nothing but a submissive bluff. The hand on her hip rose up over her head to grab trident pressed on her back, her fingers curling around the sheath. She stayed like this for awhile, staring and waiting for his lightning bolt to charge toward her. Pink puffs of clouds floated up beneath Geraki's feet at she patiently stood there, motionless, silently taunting every second he refused to move.

 _Who is this?_ Zeus thought. _What coward is upon my throne, holding my bolts of lightning, wearing my toga as red as ruby?_

His throat became arid. _It is he who dares to challenge the keeper of chaos,_ he thoughtfully continued. _As she had done with me._

Ignoring second thought, his hand swiftly hurled the pure white bolt toward Geraki, in which she had readily whipped out the trident and easily slashed it apart, transforming it into a debris of harmless sparks of static. Geraki rolled back her shoulders. "About time you woke up," she jeered. The cluster of pink clouds lifted her high above the platform. Her eyes shifted down to Zeus.

"Let's take this... above Olympus."


	2. Route To Insanity

It had been countless eons ago when _she_ was born; shortly thereafter Zeus had been born in secret, Rhea had birthed yet another child. This final one, however, was not Cronus's. She was named Geraki because of her hair, akin to wings, that stuck out proudly from both sides of her head.

Rhea revealed Geraki to Zeus first. The young god grimaced at the child as a first impression, and attempted to take no part of her life. That is, until Rhea had told Zeus to be her caretaker from then on, if he wanted to defeat Cronus and the rest of the Titans from their tyranny. Reluctantly, he accepted Geraki.

Geraki and Zeus grew up together, but not happily. Zeus was not at all fond of his half sister. At times, he believed that Geraki was mystifying to most others that she would interact with, but he swore he wouldn't fall under her spell. In fact, as she looked up to him, Zeus, in return, would look right back down on her. She, indeed, was in a mortal's body, as opposed to Zeus and his other siblings, who were significantly larger.

The siblings who seemed to grow close to her were none other than Poseidon and Hades. The brothers had positive feelings about Geraki and what she'd come to be, and treated her as a goddess she was.

But during the war between Zeus and his siblings and the Titans, Zeus immediately rejected Geraki when she was eager to participate. Sure, she had an amazon's figure, but he couldn't allow her to possibly ruin his chance to defeat Cronus. She wasn't even his daughter.

Brokenhearted, Geraki trudged down to the foot of Mount Olympus. The lush grass tickled her bare feet when she brushed against them. She put her hands upon the rock she sat on. Geraki tried calming herself down by admiring the orange and blue Father Sky, but the noise of the battle cries mixed in with the clashing of weapons tore her away from all focus. Day after day, year after year, she would slump on the same rock against the bottom of Mount Olympus, listening in on the battle between Cronus and his children. It soon became a hobby for her; a sport that she never participated in, but rather observed behind the fence. One day, a rhetorical question had suddenly crossed her mind.

Why couldn't Zeus just accept her for who she was? Every single day living with him was a nightmare for her. He always dictated her of what to do, how to think, and why should always look up to him and him only. If she were to question his authority, spheres of white lightning would appear in the palms of his powerful hands, and he would quip:

"I am the elder, and you're the youngest. Why should I need to remind you? You're supposed to be a goddess. Apparently, you are not dignified to be one."

Geraki clenched her teeth as Zeus's voice echoed in her mind. Her eyes cut down to her side, detecting a patch of narcissus flowers. She quickly reached her hand out to pluck a few from their stems. Geraki stared blankly at the deep indigo flowers. She haven't even blinked during the period. The instance she moved, it was her wrist, rotating the flowers to the side, and her other hand grasping the bottom half of the stems.

Suddenly, her pupils shrank the more she looked down at the beautiful, helpless plants. They were living things only moments ago, but they did not recoil when they were plucked from their comfortable roots.

SNAP.

Her fists tightened around the group of flowers. They were already crushed within her powerful, trembling grip.

SNAP.

Within that couple seconds, the poor plants were torn apart from their stems. _She_ DID that. Not Zeus. Not Cronus. She was in control of the flowers' fates.

S N A P.

A grin crept across her black lips. She enjoyed it; being the one in control of an entity's death. It felt so wrong, but at the same time, so right. It gave her a sudden jolt of excitement.

 _If only,_ she thought, widening her eyes, _if only this was Zeus's neck._

No. No, she couldn't think like this. What an immoral thought of her own half brother. Her face turned pale after realizing this urge. No one as meek as her would commit such an act.

But another part of her mind supported the violent thought. Zeus had never treated her as a sister. He hated her, no doubt. The two have been strangers to each other for all the years she had entered into existence. A bit guiltily, Geraki grasped back the thought into her mind and replayed the scenario over, and over, and over; snap, SNAP, **_SNAP._**

Geraki grabbed onto the hair on her head and buried it on her lap. She laughed to herself, yet tears escaped from her eyes. Geraki had no idea why she would cry. This moment in realization had been a great breakthrough from her old, feeble self.

"You were weak," she mumbled to herself. "So submissive to that fool. He's always treated you as a joke. Now-"

"Geraki?"

Geraki nearly flinched at her name being spoken, and slightly lifted her head up to see who had spoke it.

There, Hades was glancing upon her with his cool, dull grey eyes, and his head curiously tilted.

Geraki's pupils instantly enlarged to their original size as she sat back up. "Hades," she croaked in a small voice. "Why are you..."

"We were looking for you!" Hades eyed her intently. "Eh... Poseidon and I, at least. Cronus has at last been defeated." The brightness in his eyes burned with excitement, but then faded. "Why are _you_ down here? You did not wish to..." He was silenced by her teary gaze, and he frowned. "Zeus wouldn't let you, huh?"

A warm lump rose in Geraki's throat before she forcefully pushed it back down. She tried desperately to prevent her lip from quivering while she answered, "He never allows me to do anything."

"Perhaps he's only trying to protect you," Hades said, patiently tapping his fingers on the shaft of his sword. "Sometimes people do terrible things because they love-"

Geraki shook her head as he talked. "No," she said abruptly. "He doesn't love me. He's never loved me." She put her hands on her knees and stood up. Geraki gave a piercing stare towards Hades, though it was difficult for her to glare at him. She continued, "Zeus never gave me a chance. Not even since I was born. And he's about to become king?" Geraki could feel her heart pound out of her chest after venting. Her feet strutted her around an area of the ground as she cursed under her breath.

Hades unsurprisingly predicted that she would be fed up with Zeus. It was no secret that Zeus always desired to be atop all his siblings. It was his belief that he was destined to become king, since he was the only child whom Rhea saved from Cronus's mighty stomach. Hades shuddered at the memory of being devoured whole. It was very uncomfortable being held inside the Titan's stomach for so long, compacted with the bodies of his other sisters and brothers.

Hades kneeled down to the small goddess and punctured the tip of his blade in the ground. "Wipe your tears, girl," he said. "Even I dislike seeing you like this."

Geraki brushed her fingers across her cheeks to dry the streams from her eyes. She tilted her head up to his pale face. Something above it immediately caught her eye, however; upon his mop of coal black hair was his crown, made of the bones of the deceased. Around it glow a mysterious aura of a lime green that somehow seemed to be hypnotizing her, only just by looking at it. Hades caught her blank stare.

"Interested in my crown, now, aren't you?" he asked with an amused chuckle. He stood back up and rested the blade upon the cold armor of his broad shoulder. "You know, I can show you what it does."

Geraki watched as Hades slipped his sword into his belt holster. His hands traveled up to his crown and lifted it off of his head. Her stomach knotted up when he held it in front of his naval, which was before her face.

Anxiety radiated through her mind. This crown looked even more appealing up close. Everything else behind it blurred out, even Hades's hands supporting it. Each of the decorative skulls' dark, empty sockets had an intense gaze, all which were directed towards Geraki.

A voice penetrated through the silence. "Wear this, and you shall face the gods with ease."

Her hands shaking, Geraki reached forth the crown and brought it above her head. Her unsteady elbows helped lower it down to her own mop of hair, radiating an electric blue colour brighter than before.

A strange sensation vibrated from her head and down her entire body. She had never felt this before, but her stature began to ache all over. Hades, with his hands calmly linked behind his back, did not react to her twisting expression.

Geraki's heart raced as the feeling grew stronger. The god's form standing before her contorted with her episode, as well. It looked as if Hades were kneeling back down to her level, only not moving at all. He stopped lowering when the goddess was face to face with him.

Hades cracked a smile. "A great improvement, I'd call it. What do you think?"

The moment he spoke those words, the aches drifted away from her body. She caught a glimpse down to her feet in the grass, which appeared to be slightly larger and farther than before. A sort of spark flickered behind Geraki's eyes, just before her head tilted back up to Hades, revealing that her jet black lips had curved into a smile.


	3. Eternity In The Underworld

Weeks had passed since the gods have won the war. Since Zeus had been the one who had 'resurrected' his siblings, he had been selected as the king of gods, and held his glorious throne on Mount Olympus, where he and his brothers had defeated Cronus on the spot.

Down below the surface of Mother Earth beheld the terrible depths of the Underworld, a place where the late Greeks pass on to.

Charon, the ferryman of the Underworld, dipped his oar into the River Styx and rowed his boat forth. The heat of the atmosphere blew into his pale, thin face as he pushed himself forward in his boat. His eyes rolled around to observe the typical sights of his journey across; flaming skulls, falling stalactites, monstrous crocodiles... It had not even been a full year and already, he's grown tired of encountering the absolute gloom below the ground. Every single day, someone loses a life. And when they lose a life, Charon was in charge of ferrying said souls deep into the Underworld, their new home for the rest of eternity. Back and forth, back and forth, all day, every day. It was quite a tedious position.

Charon tipped the brim of his hat over his tired eyes. Mortals just have such short life spans. He just doesn't understand them.

 _Who would, anyway?_

The bow of the boat was halted by the island of dirt and mineral, and it nudged Charon slightly backwards from the sudden force. His head tilted up to see the great guardian of the Underworld's gates; Cerberus, the three-headed dog. They each lifted their mighty heads with their abundant necks, and a series of growls vibrated through their throats. Cerberus had recognized the ferryman, of course, but not the entities who were seated at the back of the boat. It was a group of souls of the recently passed, skeletal in figure, and glossy in the face. Their eyes were white as ivory as their faces held the last expression they displayed before they abandoned their broken bodies.

Charon turned sideways and looked over his shoulder to see them, frozen, each with their hands patiently in their laps and staring straight at him. Charon finally commanded them to enter with a jerk of his head towards the gates. Obediently, they stood in unison and sailed into their new homes. He watched the souls enter into the dark regions. This daily routine had grown almost tiring for him. Life after death, soul after soul, he had been familiar with it all within a short matter of time. Some days would be different, like this day, as he wondered if his master, Lord Hades, had felt the same way. The Underworld itself along with the deathly aura it gave of was quite terrible, even when the beautiful goddess, Persephone, came to visit her husband. Her glow would always fade from her soft, tanned skin just from the melancholy mood in the air.

Just as Charon was positioning his oar into the green river to return back, a faint glow appeared from the very mouth of the Underworld. His eyes strained to try and make out what it was, but it then seemed to be growing closer, gliding above the surface of the river at an incredible speed. When the glow was near enough for him to notice a figure in the center, he groaned and rolled his eyes in realization that this was none other than the messenger god.

"Charon!" the god's enthusiastic voice pierced the otherwise gloomy caves. He hovered above the ferryman with his arms folded over his puffed out chest. The bright expression alone rather annoyed Charon, and he hadn't the foggiest idea why. Charon grumbled in his raspy voice, "What is it, Hermes?"

Hermes kept his bright face towards him. "I have a message to Hades from Zeus!" he stated. As if he had been summoned, Hades appeared from the shadows of a beast's skeleton. "Zeus, you say?" he said, announcing his presence. At the same time, Cerberus bowed all three of their head down to their paws and flattened their ears. Hermes flew towards the god, then halted to admire him for a moment. "Uh," Hermes's voice trembled a moment, "Your brother requests your presence at once, Lord Hades." He cracked a forced smile. "I believe it may be urgent, from the sound of his voice."

An amused smile appeared on Hades's face, picturing his brother giving Hermes orders with his usual booming voice. "Very well, then." Hades turned to Cerberus, and put a hand on their mighty back. "I shall return shortly, my Cerberus," he said to the beast as he brushed his fingers through their coarse fur. Cerberus's ears pricked upward while their tail wagged back and forth.

Hades faced Hermes once more. "Go, let him know that I'm on way," he said, removing his hand from the dog. "I'll go fetch my chariot."

Hermes bobbed his head once for a quick nod. "Very well, then. We'll see you up there!" He glanced once more at Charon. "I'll see you later, too, Charry!" Then he flew off in an instant.

The ferryman only frowned at the ridiculous nickname, and made haste toward the opening of the Underworld again to gather up another group of souls.

It was no surprise to Hades that Zeus wanted to see him at all. Since he's been named the king of gods, he has been holding an ambition towards the other gods, that including his brothers and sisters. What irked Hades the most is that he has been assigned to rule down in the Underworld, despite being the eldest of his siblings. Every time Hades would examine across his desolate realm, envy would gnaw all over him the longer he stared. It even pained him, at times; to have a lower authority than your youngest brother. In rare occasions, whenever Zeus would invite him up to Mount Olympus, he always had a dreaded feeling that Zeus only wanted to see how miserable he was becoming, in comparison to the previous arrival. A string of resentment hung over Hades's face. That moment, he only pursed his lips and blew it out of his eyes while opening the stable doors, releasing his dark mares and stallions for his chariot. He knew dismissing this little of annoyance would be the best solution for now. His epic rage would just have to be saved for later.


	4. Escape From The Heavens

**~SHOUT OUT~**

 _To- MewMew42:_ Hey, Mewmew42! Thanks for the reviews! While it is a misfortune that I cannot PM Guests, I would like to give you some information about me and my current status with my Poptropica fanfics; if you visit my Fanfiction profile and scroll all the way through, you'll see that I unfortunately no longer ship HH with Director D, as I've grown bored of the ship a couple years ago. I've even labelled the non-canonical fanfics (to my own lore) 'OLD', as well. As of right now, I ship HH with Sir Gawain, one of the Knights of Arturus, as you'll read in my slightly more recent fanfiction, _Winter In Arturus_ , which I myself do recommend :-)

And yes, as a matter of fact, I have read _Home Again_ ; it is well written by iHateFridays, an online friend! ;-P We are on deviantArt, as well, so if you'd like to check out our profiles, I'll be more than happy to give you the links:

(iHateFridays)

(Me)

Thanks again for your support! :-D Hopefully, you could make yourself a Fanfiction account so that we could chat more via Private Messaging!

~PG

* * *

Shortly when Hades arrived up to Mount Olympus's pinnacle, he took his time to enter the brilliant golden gates to his brother's throne. He successfully tried not to admire Zeus's statues of... well, himself. Hades only needed to see one of him, as if he even had a choice. But to think that disobeying your younger brother would be violation of the law was complete absurdity.

The god of thunder was hunched over in his golden throne padded in red silk. His hand was cupped underneath his chin so his jaded expression could quite visibly be noted, while his other hand sat upon the corresponding arm rest. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the smooth bulb at the end of the rest, waiting for his dreary brother to arrive.

Hades trudged up to the foot of the marble stairs that led up to the throne. He took one look up at Zeus and, right before he could open his mouth to say anything, Zeus cut him off and shot, "What took you so long?"

Hades shook his head with a loud sigh, holding back any comments he had specifically in store for his brother. "You know," he responded nonchalantly, "I abide in the very depths of the Underworld. As a matter of fact, my chariot's horses arrived as swiftly as they could." He raised a brow. "Why have you summoned me?"

Zeus fell silent as he kept sneering at him. He turned his head to the side, leaving him glaring at one of the sturdy columns that guarded Zeus's throne.

"Geraki!" he barked. "Get out here at once!"

A warmth bursted in Hades's face when the goddess's name was called. Almost immediately, Geraki emerged from behind the high and mighty column, taking her time walking up to Zeus's side. She was half the normal god's size, once again, and Hades's crown of bones was being held tightly in her puny hands. She never lifted her eyes up from the marble floor.

Zeus's gaze snapped towards Hades. "What is she doing with your crown?" he demanded. His hand snatched the crown from her grip, and he yanked it in front of his chest, causing the small goddess to stumble forward and nearly fall. Hades lunged forth to Zeus, but stopped himself by tightening his fists around the air.

"This crown belongs to you and you ONLY! Why was she wearing it?!" Zeus's voice sounded as if he were about to explode. The lightning in his eyes only displayed but a fraction of his rage, and the pink, fluffy clouds that surrounded Olympus's summit faded into a dark grey, along with his mood. This did not faze Hades; after all, he was used to this type of mood down where he dwells.

"Don't you dare blame our sister for this!" Hades shot. "I gave her my crown. She needs it more than I do."

Zeus tossed the crown to the floor, which rolled and skidded to Hades's feet. "She is not our sister, Hades!" Zeus shouted, slamming his fist unto the arm rest, which delivered a loud crack. Geraki recoiled at both the noise and his words. She could feel her empty stomach drop as he continued, "She is nothing but a defective excuse of a goddess! Mother wanted me to take care of her, but to what avail?"

"You stop that prating right now," Hades said.

"I can prate whenever the hell I want!" Zeus shot yet another sneer at Geraki, a shiver trekking down her spine. "You will not be permitted to use the crown of Hades again, do you understand me?"

Geraki bit her lips to prevent any of her cries from escaping. Her dainty hands linked together in front of her body, and she forced her head to nod. But Zeus could not leave her be without hearing her voice.

"Answer me like the goddess you should be!"

This remark felt like lightning had struck directly upon her. Hades could plainly see it in her face, and stormed up to Zeus before he stood up before him. He pointed at Hades, seeming like he would be a clear target for a mighty lightning bolt. "You stay where you are or I'll banish you into the River Styx!"

"I understand, Zeus," Geraki stuttered, her lip quivering. Zeus's eyes were glazed over. He mockingly put his hands on his knees and leaned down toward her level. "What was that, dear?"

Geraki inhaled deeply and faced him with a burning red face and wet eyes. "I said I understand, Zeus!" she yelled, her voice shaking. Her face quickly dropped back down, humiliated.

Zeus scoffed, elevating his stature back up and looking at his brother with a cold stare. "So this is what you call a goddess?" he jeered.

Hades did not say anything in return. His eyes were glued onto the poor goddess. Regret balled up in his throat that he did nothing when Zeus taunted her like so. His dislike for her must have been so great, yet so little. He had to help her in some way to escape this harsh shelter. His thoughts were interrupted when Geraki bolted back into Zeus's domain, without another word. He and Hades watched her disappear into the pink clouds.

"Wait!" Hades called, running forth a few steps before being stopped by Zeus's arm. "Geraki!"

Geraki sprinted among the clouds as fast as her legs could carry her. She had little feeling in them, though; it felt like she were gliding across the skies like a hawk...

That is, until the edge of the mountain lunged forth at her.

Geraki halted in front of the steep slope which led down to the Earth. Surveying the expansive landscape was similar to viewing a great painting. The barren gates to the Underworld, to the seas of the glimmering ocean were all under Geraki's view. It was beautiful.

Tearing her gaze away from the scene and back at the slope, she realized that it was going to be a difficult and dawdling journey down. She wanted to escape from her brother now. She needed to get away. Just one journey down the great mountain once and for all would grant Geraki her deserved freedom. The drop was just so steep. Only glancing upon it made her feel light off her feet.

As a matter of fact, she felt as if she was floating.

Geraki then looked down at her feet, realizing that a cluster of pink cloud puffs had snuck underneath her soles and lifted her into the air! Her vision became fuzzy, at first, but the wind that flowing past her face and through her hair calmed her, as it felt like a comforting hand. The wind started to brush upwards, while the pink clouds descended to the grassy ground, swiftly, but steadily. Geraki smiled through her tears and closed her eyes, clearing the memories of the previous events that contaminated her mind.

Her eyelids fluttered open when she felt the speed of the clouds gradually slowing down, seeing that she was near the ground. The clouds then disappeared into the grass, exposing her feet to the flimsy blades. Geraki breathed in the familiar atmosphere in relief. Her legs carried her forth once again, her heart pumping faster than before as she ran across the spacious field. She was finally escaping, and already had the scheme of where to go from then.


	5. Struck

Upon the humble land of Gaia herself inhabited the lowly lives of the mortals. This day was not at all busy in particular. Only few could be spotted going their ways along the exhausted roads. The air was riddled with small chatter from the mortals, but not one conversation stood out from the rest. It had been an unusually bland afternoon.

The golden gates of Olympus towered proudly in the front of the great Mount Olympus, the main road of the people's village at the front of it. It hasn't been shined up to the brilliant coat in what looked like a few years, but it was truly a symbol of high power.

One of the tall doors, however, opened up forth for the small goddess to go through. Geraki poked the mop of her deep blue hair out of the entrance, cautiously scanning the streets. There were only a very few amount of people casually roaming about, of course, minding their own business and living their limited lives as they should. Geraki hadn't been around mortals before, but contemplating her own height, she figured that she'd blend in with the crowd. Holding her breath, she exited the comfort of the gates.

There still was a feeling of suspicion rambling inside Geraki. She was six and a half feet tall in height, which she figured was tall for mortals; she caught a handful of them curiously looking at her for a few seconds when they were in her view. It didn't quite bother her as much. It actually made her happy that people were acknowledging her very existence, gazing up at her in awe. At instances, she thought that she still felt their eyes on her when she had passed them. She began to feel more accepted by the mortals than the gods.

Just as she had the patch of grass of an approaching field in her sights, she sensed particular footsteps from behind her. It stood out blatantly from the rest because of how loud the pace was growing. The person making these footsteps sounded as if they were unhurried, but they had not stopped for one second for anything other than following her.

Geraki's face turned hot before pivoting and spotting a man walking up toward her. There was ice in his eyes, but a fierce smirk across his lips. She felt frightened, and didn't know why, as she was obviously a goddess, and he was at least a foot shorter than her. His toga also looked stained and run down, so she figured it was only a peasant. Even so, she wanted to run away from him, but her feet were frozen to the ground.

As the stranger got closer to her, he suddenly paused and widened his eyes, then backed away. There, he tilted his head up and stared at her like all the others had done. He mumbled something under his breath, then his stare hardened again, seeing an even greater amount of fear in her face.

He put out his hand, palm facing up. "Spill 'em, lady," he said.

Geraki narrowed her eyebrows. "W...What?"

"Everything you got. Gimme your money."

Geraki instantly froze up. She had no idea of what to do, nor how to react. Her muscles locked into place.

The stranger's voice sounded to be fading away, but in reality, he was raising his voice. "Did you not hear me? I said, 'Gimme your money'!" His hand reached down under his sash and pulled out a dagger from his belt. "I wanna see you take out your drachmas!"

A sudden whoosh filled Geraki's lungs as her loosened feet began to stumble backward. What only stopped her was a stone wall of a building, pressed against her back. "G... Go!" she sputtered, her pupils contracting as they have done before. "Go away!"

"Hey!" another male's voice called out, sounding to be younger than this stranger's. He and Geraki glanced up toward the same direction to see a man, plentiful in youth, in seeming to prepare charging into the scene. He was in a heroic square stance, mostly to flaunt the muscles that enveloped the exposed top half of his body. "Leave that young woman alone!" he announced, making sure that everybody on the streets had been looking at him. Some also drew attention to Geraki and the stranger, but chose to stand aside while expressing a gaping stare.

The stranger examined him for a moment, not moving any part of his body. Geraki bit her lips and chanted in her head for the stranger to cower away from the finely built young man. But as if he was awakened from a spell, the stranger grabbed onto Geraki's wrist, making a yelp pass her lips. She tried to reel back, but hit the wall that blocked her path, cornering her.

"Yeah?!" the stranger challenged. "Well what're you gonna do about _THIS_?!" He gripped the handle of the dagger and thrusted the blade into Geraki's arm. He was aiming for her stomach, but as she was struggling to break free, she reflexively twisted her shoulders around to try and shield herself.

The moment she felt the metal press onto her skin, she drew back the fist of her fumbling hand as far back as she could, then struck him in the face, sending him flying backwards.

The bystanders behind the young man clamored with shocked gasps. Geraki breathed ruggedly when she looked down at her arm, gashed in a sloppy pattern. She covered it entirely with her opposing hand and sucked air in between her teeth. Her eyes went up to where the stranger had landed; he'd fallen back first on the far side of the road, which were now dawned in large cracks and pebbles created from the impact.

Geraki never felt so terrified in her life. The eyes of people that pierced through her were sharper than daggers. Her mind began to numb up. The only sensible thing she thought she could do was what she had been in the first place: run. Her foot slid back toward the direction of the field as her distant stare never left the mortals. Then, she sprinted into the field.

Meanwhile, the young man watched her run off, amazed by her strength. "Wow," he said, "if I'd have known she had that incredible strength, I wouldn't have interfered in the first place!"

One of the mortals turned her head up to him. "But if you hadn't," she pointed out, "she would have been stabbed and left to die!"

A smile spread across his lips. "You're right! I did, didn't I?"

"Hail, Hercules!" another exclaimed. "Hero of Greece!"


	6. Freedom Amongst The Rocks

Geraki ran across the vast plain, the grass blowing down at the intense speed of when she ran past them. A brief glimpse of light flashed brightly from inside of Apollo's golden Temple of Groves when she passed it, and she squinted her eyes until it was out of her field of view. She jumped off the ledge and onto the roof of Hades's altar to the Underworld, dust rippling outward from her impact. At the same time, a flat boulder rocketed up in front of her, being supported by a black substance that gushed violently from a deep hole embedded in the ground. Without stopping, Geraki bent her knees and used her powerful thighs to jump up onto the flat surface of the rock like a platform. She landed on her wounded arm, which triggered her to clench her teeth and wince through the hot tears that pricked in her eyes. Blood dribbled onto the rock, and the stinging pain tingled her entire arm.

Sweat began pouring down her forehead. All possible things that could be of harm were enveloping around her, of all people. Her eyelids struggled to lift up and blink back her tears. There she lay, staring directly at the gates to the Underworld. An image of the dark lord was proudly carved into the face of the temple.

Geraki's soft breathing started skipping a track. Only by the still structure of Hades made her feel a hint of warmth inside of her. There was a faint sense that wherever he was, he was urging her to stand up off the platform and climb out of the pit. She needed him right then, just to listen to his nectar-like, baritone voice to tell her that everything was going to be alright.

But... what would he do?

All her life, Geraki had depended heavily on her older brothers, especially Hades. Now to finally have escaped the grip of Zeus was a sign that she no longer needed to be coddled, abused, or trapped up among the heavens. She needed to prove that she was not to be treated like nothing any longer, but rather the goddess she was.

The thought of independence and rebellion forcefully pushed Geraki up to place both her hands on the smooth cut of the rockand she shook up to her feet. The cliff was right in front of her, plain as day, maneuvering up and down to the pressure of the substance's force from underneath. The sound of gallons of fluid splashing continuously filled her ears. Puffing out her chest, she leapt onto the cliff, stretching forth her arms to cling on to the harsh looking rocks protruding from the ledge. Geraki's eyes shut tight, expecting more pain to come in contact.

What broke her fall was a pool of water enclosed by the graphite; Geraki's body flopped overhead the rock cluster and splashed into the deep pool.

Geraki bobbed her head and shoulders above the fragile surface. Heavy drops of water from a large fountain, in the shape of a fish, rained down on her head, soaking the wings of her hair to which they drooped down. In advantage, the throbbing in her wounded arm faded, being cooled by the clear liquids. Geraki swam past the fountain, which she had found that it was blocking her view of yet another altar atop a small, sandy island. Each column was delicately structured with pearly shells, and the turquoise walls were patterned with sea stars and fish.

In the center of the temple, right below the roof, patterned with tridents and coral, marked a fine carving of the sea god's cheerful image. Poseidon.


	7. Weak In The Heat

The heat of the shimmering sun gently beat down upon the light sand of Poseidon's Beach. A pair of nymphs relaxed upon their blankets, planted underneath their corresponding umbrellas for a cool shade.

In the front of the beach sat the prominent love goddess, Aphrodite. Her golden hair gave off a strong glisten under the sun, along with her matching heart-shaped necklace. Her delicate feet stirred through the crystal waters as her head was slightly angled up to see the great sculpture of the god of the sea, riding atop a seahorse. One hand was gripped on the reins attached to the mouth of the fish, while the other held an extravagant trident, slightly longer than his height alone. Barnacles and small sea stars were decorated around the base of the teal statue, followed by the low tides that playfully plunged against it every now and then. The statue also doubled as a one-spouted fountain, as water poured out from the seahorse's snout.

Aphrodite's wandering gaze was jolted when she heard the sound of sand being dragged through. She turned her head to the source and saw what looked to be a woman, clasping her hand on her arm and hobbling towards her in a stuttering pace.

Geraki struggled to push herself farther into the beach. The pulsating heat did not help at all. Her exhausted legs paused for a moment, then collapsed. More sweat erupted in her face as her breathing weighed her body down. Her hazy vision amongst the sand darkened, and she was overcome by a large shadow. Above her, Aphrodite curiously stared upon the miniature goddess with her hands on her hips.

"Hey," Aphrodite said, "Are you all right?"

Geraki shook her head, still hiding her face.

Aphrodite kneeled down and swept both her hands under Geraki's chin, lifting her face. Geraki's barely open eyelids fluttered halfway up, unveiling the clear image of the goddess's face; her eyes were a lush grass green, and her cheeks a blushing pink. A crown of red roses peeked out through the loose strands of her hair, while it held in a single bunch of the golden curls.

Recognizing her as the goddess of love, Geraki's throat went dry, and her dark lips parted, occasionally quivering sheepishly. "Uh..." was the only noise that came out.

The other goddess removed her hands to cross her arms. "What is a mortal doing here, anyway? The village is a long way from here."

Another warm lump clogged Geraki's throat. "I... I'm not..." she said in a small voice, shaking her head. She was indeed sounded like a bumbling idiot in front of her, possibly because she had been distracted. Aphrodite had always been so beautiful to Geraki. But a pesky thought invaded her mind; why would such a goddess like Aphrodite be impressed by a frail and insignificant goddess like her? Geraki considered herself a nobody. It was not the first time Geraki had encountered Aphrodite, but it is the first time Aphrodite had seen her. But as a blubbering mess.

Geraki dared not to shed a tear in front of her. "My brother..." she said with a whimper. "Where is he?"

"I haven't an idea," Aphrodite answered, shrugging her bare shoulders. "Who is he?"

The heavy, rugged breathing prevented a verbal reply to Aphrodite. Looking over the goddess's shoulder, Geraki distantly lifted her arm and pointed her finger at Poseidon's statue.

Aphrodite's pivoted around to see where she was pointing at, then looked back at her with a different expression. "You're Geraki," she concluded, "aren't you?"

Geraki's knotted stomach felt like it was about to burst. Everything was traveling in such an enormous speed and she just couldn't keep up. Her irises were still cut down a size smaller, haven't dilated since the attack. The blood red dots shot up directly toward Aphrodite, unaware of the tremendous weight upon the smaller goddess's shoulders.

"Yes," Geraki simply said in a gruff voice.

Aphrodite rested on both her knees. "Your brother is in his palace, underneath the... ocean..." Her voice trekked to a halt before examining her entire person curiously. "You're sure you're alright? You're looking a little weak right now."

Geraki's fingers curled to crush the sand shoveled in her hands. "I..." she groaned in between her clenched teeth, "I am _not_ weak."

Aphrodite's eyes flickered. "I didn't say you were," she simply said, her voice altering into a stern tone. Geraki bit her lips, regret pouring in.

A sudden cool draft penetrated the hot air. Her head struggled to tilt above her eye level to see who else than Poseidon, stood at the tongue of the sea to overshadow his proud statue.

Poseidon's deep blue hair curled away from his cyan face, fluttering softly with the salty wind along with the loosely grown mustache that lay across his face. The sapphire eyes longed downward upon pathetic looking Geraki, who could do nothing else but stare in return. The sea god tilted his head. "Geraki, you look like a frail bird. What happened here?"

Aphrodite, in response, pushed herself up and turned her body toward him without breaking her gaze with him. She wet her lips with her tongue and parted them. Her voice hitched in her gullet for a moment before it broke free. "Your sister is faint, Poseidon... I suggest you..." The sound of her voice began to blur in Geraki's ears, along with her vision. The sight morphed and blended colours until she could see nothing but the blue of the sky and the blinding brightness of the yellow sun. The intense hues grew, enveloping the whole scene before her very eyes before she could feel nothing else, but a pair of hands scooping her up.


End file.
